Fisker Automotive has been in the news recently due to problems with the Karma plug-in hybrid's lithium-ion battery pack. The issue gained widespread attention when Consumer Reports' test vehicle died with fewer than 200 miles on the odometer.

A123 Systems, the maker of the battery pack for the Fisker Karma, has taken the drastic step of replacing the defective battery packs in 2012 model year vehicles at a cost of $55 million. In addition, A123 also bumped the battery warranty from 50,000 miles to 60,000 miles.

Fisker Automotive is hoping to get past this storm cloud with the unveiling of its second production model: the Atlantic. The Atlantic was previously known under the name "Project Nina" and will be officially revealed to the public this Tuesday.

Official images of the upcoming plug-in hybrid have now leaked onto the web. The Atlantic closely mimics the styling of its larger brother, the Karma. The voluptuous curves and twin grille successfully filter down to a vehicle that is supposed to be roughly the size of a BMW 5-Series according to Autoblog. This would put it at about equal footing with the all-electric Tesla Model S.

The Nina should also retail at around half of the Karma’s $102,000 starting price.

Not much else is known about the plug-in hybrid, but we do know that it should be much lighter than the morbidly obese Karma which weighs in at a whopping 5,300 lbs – heavier than most modern crossovers.

We'll have to wait until Tuesday to get official specs on the Atlantic.

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Fisker will address the two biggest shortcomings of the Volt: Mediocre performance and bland looks.

It really doesn't matter if they only get 30MPG in range-extended mode, as that's used for less than 20% of the mileage. It also doesn't matter if it only gets 80 MPGe in electric mode, as that only marginally affects the cost equation over a 100MPGe car.

FYI, the Fisker Karma was Automobile Magazine Design of the year, and Top Gear Magazine Luxury Car of the Year. Fisker is far from a bust. They just have a few teething issues.

The turbocharged DI VVT 2.0L in the Karma is NOT one of its many flaws. It's a good little engine, and it can be set up for a wide range of output, depending on what the manufacturer wants (and what the generator can handle).

Although in the end, it doesn't matter what ICE they use, if they can't get their act together on the other components.

I agree that it's a good engine it's just that I think BMW is further with regards to fuel efficiency which would be good for the Fisker car.

As for all the Fisker bashing going on here I think it's rather unfair. Yes, they have not been perfect but they have been quick to fix any problems found and it's not like the other car makers are perfect. Every car maker sees problems be it Toyota, Rolls Royce, Tesla, BMW, GM, Ford, Peugeot... it's just not so much in the news (mostly).

To me, the biggest sign of them having a competent engineering team is how the Karma got praises of having the best handing of any large car (despite its mass), or better steering feel than many BMWs, and all the while having a comfortable ride (despite 22" wheels). Handling and ride quality are really hard to get right for established automakers, let alone a startup.

I'm crossing my fingers with the Atlantic. It's shaping up to be the perfect car to me.

quote: Not much else is known about the plug-in hybrid, but we do know that it should be much lighter than it should be much lighter than the morbidly obese Karma which weighs in at a whopping 5,300 lbs – heavier than most modern midsize crossover SUVs.

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